Brazil's pioneering micromalting facility, Malteria Blumenau, is ceasing operations due to its inability to effectively compete in the domestic market, as reported by Catalisi.
Established in January 2015 by chemical engineer and brewmaster Rodolfo Rebelo, Malteria Blumenau originally had a capacity of 12 tons of malt per month, later expanded to 100 tons. The company aimed to cater to Brazil's burgeoning craft brewing scene and reduce reliance on imported specialty malts by substituting a portion with domestically produced ones.
However, faced with high production costs and limited scalability, Malteria Blumenau finds itself unable to rival imported malts in Brazil's market. Additionally, Agraria, Brazil's leading malt producer, has announced plans to construct a malting plant focused on specialty malt production with confirmed investments totaling BRL 500 million (USD 104 million), set to launch in 2026 (inside.beer, 22.6.2023)
Despite the potential to increase production to 170 tons per month, Malteria Blumenau's decision to cease operations highlights the challenges of competing on a smaller scale.
